Screens

Summary

Matter cannot be destroyed, it merely changes state. That is the case when we expire and it is something Dead Cells explores as this rogue-like platformer seeks to enthral unsuspecting videogames fans into its world of re-appropriating dead matter for one's own needs.

Dead Cells starts off with the player being little more than an amorphous blob of green goo that has somehow become sentient. Maybe it's the result of a bottle of milk being left in the fridge for too long? Anyway this green goo can't do much except flow about the place and take control of dead bodies. Thankfully one just so happens to be lying about, so the player subsumes this cadaver of an unknown fallen warrior and proceeds to make their way through a vast, maze-like structure. So complex is this maze that the discovery of passageways and items within it are the sole thing that remains between each play session of Dead Cells.

There is more to Dead Cells than being a mere rogue-like in that the structure of the game is not a linear passage through an underground warren. For Dead Cells is also a Metroidvania game in that it requires the player to backtrack and discover new powers to gain access to other areas.

The key is the concept of keeping the discovered areas open after the player has fallen, revealing more of the realm they are trying to explore every time they delve into Dead Cells.

Another striking thing about Dead Cells is the graphic engine being used. It has a 2D look to it, but all of the models start out as fully 3D and are flattened into the 2D plane, giving them a very convincing fluid motion as they flit across the screen. Indeed, it's the movement and seamlessness of the controls that has critics the gaming world over raving about Dead Cells. It looks set to establish itself as a hack 'n' slash, 'roguevania' classic. Admittedly that's still quite a narrow field, but after Dead Cells it wouldn't be a surprise to see other developers filling it out.